Announcements / Messages from IAPC
IAPC’s Infographic of the month: Bereavement Care
As part of the Infographic Series on “Care Continuum”, we are excited to present the IAPC Infographic for October 2026: Bereavement Care.
This initiative reflects the IAPC’s constant endeavour to promote palliative care education and awareness across the country.
Please feel free to share this infographic within your networks. The same will be available on our social media platforms and also on our website.
Please click here to access the infographics published till date.
We thank Dr. Wasim Hoda (Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesia, Pain, Palliative and Critical Care, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand) for his valuable support towards this initiative.
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: IAPC and Alpha Palliative Care Jointly Organise International Conference – 9 to 11 October 2026
We are excited to invite you to the upcoming international conference jointly organised by the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) and Alpha Palliative Care to mark World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, which falls on Saturday, 10 October 2026.
The conference will be held from 9 to 11 October 2026 at Alpha Hospice, Edamuttam, Thrissur. The conference has adopted this year’s WHPCD theme, “Pain Management: An Essential Part of Palliative Care,” to underline the importance of effective pain relief in alleviating unnecessary suffering.
The conference commences with a walkathon at 9:00 AM on Day 1. The Day 1 will witness very important sessions in the afternoon and a cultural session, followed by dinner.
The conference will be formally inaugurated by Shri V. D. Satheesan, Hon. Chief Minister of Keralam, at 10:00 AM on the second day. The scientific sessions will commence in the afternoon, with eminent national and international faculty leading a series of sessions.
Pioneers of palliative care in India, including Dr M. T. Bhatia (Founding Secretary, IAPC), Sr Gilli Burn (RGN, Founder Director, Cancer Relief India), Dr Suresh Kumar (Founder Director, IPM, Kozhikode), and Dr Dinesh Goswami (Founder, Guwahati Pain and Palliative Care Society, Assam), will be honoured in the evening.
The scientific programme will continue on Day 3. The conference will end by 2:00 PM on Day 3.
The conference is being organised under the leadership and guidance of dignitaries including Dr. Geeta Joshi (President, IAPC), Dr. Sanghamitra Bora (Hon. Secretary, IAPC), and Shri K.M. Noordeen (Chairman, Alpha Charitable Trust), with participation from palliative care leaders, ministers representing the Government of Kerala, business leaders, philanthropists, and dignitaries from various fields
Please visit the website https://conference.alphapalliativecare.org/ for registration. Download the program here: https://www.palliativecare.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Alpka-Intern-ational-Conference_October-2026.pdf
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: Share your event with IAPC
Celebrate. Share. Inspire
Palliative care centres, groups, and institutions are invited to share how they are celebrating World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2026. Submit your event to IAPC’s dedicated page and showcase your work to the palliative care community across India.
Whether you are organising an educational programme, an awareness activity, a poster or slogan competition, a cultural event, a theatre or musical programme, or any other initiative, we would love to feature your efforts. Let us come together to learn from one another and inspire the wider community.
Be part of the celebration. Let your story inspire others!
Submit your event here: https://www.palliativecare.in/world-hospice-and-palliative-care-day-celebrations/.
IAPC’s Gold Medal for Nurses: Step 1 Online Screening Test Results Announced
We are delighted to announce the results of the Step 1 online screening test for IAPC’s Gold Medal for Nurses 2026.
A total of 139 nurses registered, of whom 101 were eligible to attend the screening test, held between 1 and 31 August 2026. highest number of applicants were from Karnataka and Kerala (21 each), with Rajasthan in second place (17 registrations) and Delhi third (15).
The top 5 rank holders are: Mr Ravi Prakash Jat (Bhilwara, Rajasthan), Mr Dharmendra Parsoya (Jodhpur, Rajasthan), Ms Rupali Uttam Malwadkar (Mumbai, Maharashtra), Mr Sandip Gorai (Bengaluru, Karnataka), and Mr Rajesh Meena (New Delhi).
Congratulations to the winners and we wish you all the best for the Step II final examination, which will be held on Monday, 23 November, 2026 at the Institute of Nursing Sciences and Shri GH Patel School of Nursing, Bhaikaka University Campus, Anand, Gujarat. Details available here.
The IAPC’s Gold Medal for Nurses was instituted in 2024 to encourage excellence in palliative care nursing. The winner will receive a cash prize of Rs. 25,000, a citation, and a medal. The award will be presented at IAPCON 2027, to be held at the Convention Complex, SOA University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, from Friday, 19 to Sunday, 21 February 2027.
New Issue Alert! Indian Journal of Palliative Care (IJPC)
We are happy to share that the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Palliative Care (IJPC), featuring a range of articles and research in palliative care, is now available online!
Click here to explore the latest issue: Volume 32 | Issue 3 | July-September 2026.
Eight States. One Northeast. One Shared Purpose: IAPC’s North-East Regional Chapter Inaugurated
The Chapter Achieved Official Registration in Record Time
IAPC is delighted to share the official registration of the North -East Regional Chapter of IAPC, completed in record time. The registration was finalised on 4 September 2026, within a few months of the formation of the group tasked with registering the chapter. Congratulations to all members from the eight North -Eastern states.
IAPC sincerely appreciates the hard work of all members under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Sanghamitra Bora. Congratulations to Dr. Sanghamitra Bora, Dr. Tashi Chotton, Dr. Nandan Choudhary, Mr. Rontu Sangma, and the entire NE Chapter team!
The formal Inauguration of the North- East Regional Chapter was held on Saturday, 12 September, in Guwahati. The Chapter was inaugurated by Chief Guest, Dr Raj Prabha Moktan (Director, Regional Resource Centre for North -East, a branch of the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India) in the gracious presence of Dr Geeta Joshi (President, IAPC).
Congratulations to the newly constituted Executive Committee of the IAPC North-East Chapter, led by Dr. Sanghamitra Bora of Assam as President, Dr. Tashi Chotton of Arunachal Pradesh as Honorary Secretary and Mr. Rontu Sangma of Meghalaya as Treasurer, along with Executive Committee members Dr. Nandan Chaudhary of Manipur holding an additional charge of Academic Coordinator, Dr. Obangjungla of Nagaland, Dr. Jacob Laibu of Mizoram, Dr. Sangita Subba of Sikkim, Dr. Debalina Bhaumik of Tripura, and Mr. Sharique Husain of Assam.
Significantly, the Executive Committee brings together representation from all eight states of Northeast India, reflecting the truly regional character of the Chapter. The official registration of the IAPC North-East Chapter marks an important milestone in bringing the Northeast together on a common platform to strengthen collaboration, build capacity and advance access to palliative care across the region.
IAPCON 2027: Call for Abstracts
Submission deadline: 15 November 2026
The scientific committee of the IAPCON 2027 urges to submit abstracts for the 34th International Conference of IAPC (IAPCON 2027,) which will be held from Friday, 19, to Sunday, 21, February 2027, at the Convention Complex, SOA University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The scientific committee shares: “We welcome original research, quality improvement projects, case reports, and innovative models of care across all areas of palliative care. Abstracts may be submitted for oral presentation or e-poster presentation. This is an opportunity to share your work, learn from peers, and contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field. Early-career professionals and first-time presenters are especially encouraged to submit.”
Last date for abstract submission: 15 November 2026
Submit your abstract here: https://iapcon2027.com/abstract.html
We look forward to your contributions and to seeing you at IAPCON 2027.
Read also:
Singing for the Stars
Highlights from the August 2026 Event
The August edition of ‘Singing for the Stars’ was held on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM IST, presented jointly by the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) and SMA Nirvana (Shankar Mahadevan Academy). An hour- long music journey was presented by Kumaran Muthuraman, Vocalist and Performing Artist, who sang popular songs in Tamil and Hindi, bringing together participants from different regions in shared enjoyment.
The session saw wonderful audience involvement, with Mr. Muthuraman taking up songs requested by participants through the session, making the evening an interactive and memorable one. His soulful voice and rendition of the songs left the audience thoroughly delighted, with many participants warmly congratulating him at the end of the show.
Institutions including Annai Adhuragam Hospice, (Kumbakonam), Mahaveer Ashray (Sri Perumbudur), Respite Care Centre TMH (Mumbai), SAIMS (Indore), and Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI-Guwahati), actively participated in the event
Team IAPC and Team SMA Nirvana extend their heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Kumaran Muthuraman and to all those who joined us for spreading smiles during the show.
Leverage the IAPC’s Social Media to stay connected!
The IAPC is inviting each of you to join the IAPC’s Social Media community to network and stay connected with the palliative care community, from India and beyond!
To get started, Follow / Like us on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/palliativecare.in
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iapc-1994/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iapcsecretary
New vacancies from across the country now published in the IAPC’s Careers page
We invite you to visit the IAPC’s ‘View job vacancy’ page to view the recently updated vacancies in palliative care from across the country.
Details of current vacancies are:
- Medical and Psychiatric Social Worker at lGICH, Karnataka
- Asst. Prof. / Sr. Resident at Sri Aurobindo Medical College & PG Institute, Madhya Pradesh
- Senior Resident at Christian Medical College Vellore, Tamil Nadu
- Junior Consultant at Apollo Healthcity, Telangana
- Clinical Psychologist at Manipal Hospice and Respite Care, Karnataka 1
- Clinical Psychologist at Manipal Hospice and Respite Care, Karnataka 2
We request you to please also join us to improve the availability and access to palliative care by either sharing the details of vacancies at your center or by sharing the details of this platform with your colleagues to submit a vacancy from centers rendering palliative care services.
Call for Support: Your 2 minutes = Someone’s entire lifetime of Peace, Comfort and Dignity!
The IAPC requests you to spare just two minutes of your valuable time to submit / update the details of your palliative care services in the IAPC’s National Palliative Care Directory.
Steps to show your support:
- Please visit the IAPC’s National Palliative Care Directory and select the State from the drop down menu to check details of your center.
- If you need to add / update details of your center, then please visit the Submit/Update details of your PC center page on the IAPC website and submit the relevant details.
- After entering the relevant details, please click the ‘Submit’ button to record your responses.
Please do remember that your two minutes will make an invaluable difference in someone’s entire lifetime, as patients and caregivers, along with your colleagues will then have access to palliative care services when they need it the most!
Come on, donate your time to be a bridge in alleviating the suffering of our patients from across the country. Let no one be left behind!
Please click here for guidance on how to update your details.
‘Saath Saath Helpline’: India’s free palliative care helpline
Saath-Saath Helpline: 1800-202-7777, is the first of its kind National, Free-of-cost Palliative care helpline. The helpline offers non-judgmental listening services to palliative patients and their caregivers, or to a patient’s physician, and connects them to the nearest palliative care center.
The helpline has 26 partner organisations working across 17 States and Union territories viz; Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Orissa, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kashmir and West Bengal. Volunteers from Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) and Cipla Palliative Care and Training Centre (CPC) attend the calls in four shifts to either provide information, offer Psycho-emotional support or to refer the caller to a partner organisation.
The helpline provides service through call-in on a phone line and works 6 days a week (Mon-Sat), 10 am to 6 pm.
You can offer your support by informing patients about this helpline and refer those who are in need of such services.